The nsswitch.conf Template Files

Three nsswitch.conf template files are provided with the Solaris operating environment. Each of them provides a different default set of primary and subsequent information sources.

The three template files are:

NIS+ template file. The nsswitch.nisplus configuration file specifies NIS+ as the primary source for all information except passwd, group, automount, and aliases. For those four files, the primary source is local /etc files and the secondary source is an NIS+ table. The [NOTFOUND=return] search criterion instructs the switch to stop searching the NIS+ tables if it receives a "No such entry" message from them. It searches through local files only if the NIS+ server is unavailable.

NIS template file. The nsswitch.nis configuration file is almost identical to the NIS+ configuration file, except that it specifies NIS maps in place of NIS+ tables. Because the search order for passwd and group is files nis, you don't need to place the + entry in the /etc/passwd and /etc/group files.

Files template file. The nsswitch.files configuration file specifies local /etc files as the only source of information for the workstation. There is no "files" source for netgroup, so the client simply won't use that entry in the switch file.

LDAP template file. The nsswitch.ldap configuration file specifies the LDAP directory as the primary source of information for the workstation.

Copy the template file that most closely meets your requirements to thensswitch.conf configuration file and then modify nsswitch.conf as needed. (See the switch chapter of Solaris Naming Setup and Configuration Guide for a detailed description of this process.)

For example, to use the NIS+ template file, you would type the following command:

mymachine# cp nsswitch.nisplus nsswitch.conf

The Default Switch Template Files

Here are the three switch files supplied with Solaris operating environment:

Example 2-3 Files Switch File Template

#
# /etc/nsswitch.files:
#
# An example file that could be copied over to /etc/nsswitch.conf;
# it does not use any naming service.
#
# "hosts:" and "services:" in this file are used only if the
# /etc/netconfig file has a "-" for nametoaddr_libs of "inet"
# transports.
passwd: files
group: files
hosts: files
networks: files
protocols: files
rpc: files
ethers: files
netmasks: files
bootparams: files
publickey: files
# At present there isn't a 'files' backend for netgroup;
# the system will figure it out pretty quickly, and won't use
# netgroups at all.
netgroup: files
automount: files
aliases: files
services: files
sendmailvars: files

Default nsswitch.conf File

The default nsswitch.conf file that is installed when you install the Solaris operating environment for the first time is determined by which name service you select during the Solaris software installation process. When you chose a name service, the switch template file for that service is copied to create the new nsswitch.conf file. For example, if you choose NIS+, the nsswitch.nisplus file is copied to create a new nsswitch.conf file.